By Marcus Moloko
At least 18 local government councillors have been targeted and assassinated across KwaZulu-Natal since the 2021 municipal elections, according to a sobering disclosure by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government.
The statistics were released by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli following the fatal shooting of eThekwini Municipality Councillor Sibusiso Khwela. Khwela was gunned down directly at his local constituency office in Klaarwater, west of Durban.
The Premier condemned the ongoing bloodbath, asserting that the killings hit at the very heart of South African democracy.
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He said targeting locally elected leaders deeply destabilized municipal government operations and crippled service delivery for vulnerable communities.
According to the official data, the eThekwini metropolitan area remains the deadliest region for public representatives, accounting for five of the fatalities. Multiple assassinations have also stained towns like Newcastle, uMngeni, and
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